Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Continuum, pb, $12.95

"Every artist goes through periods of doubt and those horrible spells when no new inspiration will come. Upon graduating, I found the transition to creating art on my own to be very trying. This was no big surprise...at least until months added to months and still no new work came. Instead of actually creating, I began reading any book I could get on the creative process itself. Art and Fear stands above all else in this genre. This book will not tell you how to create, it will not give you any secret to finding the time (or money!) to produce your work. The important thing within its pages is a violent shove out of those internalized struggles, reminding the reader it is trust and responsibility that are the keys to this work. Art and Fear is straightforward in its uncompromising tone. I cannot recommend it highly enough for recent grads or the art-stuck of any age." -- Laurie Nadeau

The Mansion on the Hill: Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen, and the Head-On Collision of Rock and Commerce
by Fred Goodman
Vintage/Random House, pb, $15.00

"Beginning with Dylan's first electrick band being booed off the stage at Newport, this book sweeps up along up to David Geffen's mega-deal making, with narry a dull paragraph along the way. Boston is central to the book, from its first rock station WBCN to the Phoenix, to the first stirrings of Springstein's E-street Band. Mansion on the Hill shows the music-money recipie resulting in the current turmoil in the music biz. A great book on Rock n' Roll." -- Brad Jones

Sputnik Sweetheart
by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel
Vintage/Random House, pb, $12.00

"Murakami has a way of building complex and bizarre landscapes out of simple, pretty prose. As reality dissolves out from under his unsuspecting characters, they begin to question and explore their shifting physical and psychic terrain, and, ultimately, their own humanity. Sputnik Sweetheart is full of compelling elements: love, mystery, plot twists, and is pleasantly creepy. I read it all in one day." -- Jess Collins

The Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting
by Gai Wang, translated by Mai-Mai Sze
Princeton University Press, pb, $37.50

"I consider this a must for the artist. It makes you want to paint. A true source of inspiration." -- Sofia Gotlin

Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age, 1971-1984
by Van Burnham and Ralph H. Baer
MIT Press, $49.95

"Does Centipede mean more than just an insect to you? Asteroid, not just a chunk of rock in outer space? Does the word 8-bit make your fingertips tingle? If so, this is the book for you. Recounting the glories of video game technology up to the 80's, Supercade captures the heart of video gaming from Pong to the Super Mario Bros. This mind blowing collection treats you to a photo history bursting with life-saver colors. Each page radiates nostalgia, dreaming of simpler times and simpler pleasures. Coupled with capsule histories of each game, Supercade will make any video game fan drool with longing." -- Vicki Yuen